When it comes to learning a language listening is so important.
So today, I want to talk to you about some different ways
on how you can improve your listening skills to better your comprehension.
Often, the first time we are exposed to a language, any language, it is through listening.
We hear it being spoken, or we hear it on TV or movies.
So it is so important that we improve our listening skills
and understand how to improve our listening skills
in order to comprehend the language
and better understand the words and sentences that we are hearing.
So today, I'm going to talk to you about some different
tips and different strategies that you can use to become a better listener.
The first suggestion that I have for you is to pay close attention to the content words.
Now if you're wondering well, "What are content words?"
These are words that actually have meaning.
And because of that they really help us paint a picture in our minds.
And that makes it easier for us to understand what it is we're listening to.
So content words would be like adjectives.
And you're thinking about the size, the color, the sound, the smell, the feeling.
They're also nouns - the people, the places, the objects.
As well as the verbs - What actions are happening?
What are the actions that you're hearing?
Don't worry so much about the smaller words - the articles, the prepositions.
Really focus on those content words, and then use them to put pictures in your head.
If it's a podcast, if it's a TV show, or even in just a general conversation, if we're able to identify
and understand these content words, and actually put an image in our mind,
we're going to understand exactly what is being said.
And that helps us improve our overall language fluency.
The next suggestion, which is very important, is to become an active listener.
So for most of us whenever we're listening, its passive listening.
We're listening to a TV show, or a movie, or music, or a podcast, and you're not really required to do anything.
Just listening and trying to understand.
When I say become an active listener, this means that
it requires you to do something.
You have to actually respond to whatever it is you're listening to.
And that response might be answering a question.
That response might be doing a summary.
That response might be actually speaking to somebody and having a back and forth conversation.
When you become an active listener, then you're really
exercising those muscles and trying to understand exactly what you're hearing.
Because there is a response.
You will need to do something after the listening is over.
So this is important for having a conversation
because you want to understand and you want to respond to them.
It's important if you are preparing for a school test, or the IELTS, or the TOEFL.
Because you have to answer questions based on what you hear.
So it's important to try to become an active listener
and practice your active listening skills to improve your overall comprehension.
Now you don't have to do anything completely different
if you want to practice your active listening skills.
You can use those same sources that you're using for passive listening
and just change them into an activity in which you become an active listener.
So for example, if you are watching a TV show or
a movie, then you can practice by trying to make a prediction about what's going to happen next.
You can also use online resources and do some
listening activities and then have to respond to the questions that they give you.
Even here at Interactive English, we have different video
lessons to help you practice your active listening skills.
And I will put those up above, and I highly recommend you go check those out.
The next suggestion I have for you is to listen and follow the signs.
So whatever it is you're listening to if it is a presentation,
if it is a TV show, or even just a conversation,
you have somebody trying to take you from point A to point B.
And all along that path is the conversation that you have to understand.
So in order to get from point A to point B, you need to follow the signs.
Often when we're hearing something things are told in sequential order.
And that means they're using transition words like first, also, in the beginning.
And if you're able to recognize these signs, and the
transitions, and where they're taking you in the conversation,
you're going to be able to more easily understand
what it is you're listening to.
So you need to be able to recognize these transition words
and follow the signs that's going to take you from one
part of the conversation, to the next part, to the next part, into the next part.
A great way to practice this skill is by listening to different presentations.
Because when somebody is giving a presentation,
again, they want to tell you a story in sequential order.
They want to take you from one point to the next.
And in order to do so, they're going to use those transition words.
And that's a great way to practice and see if you can identify the different signs
that are going to help you get from one idea to the next.
Another very useful suggestion, which is one that I
tell students all the time, is to listen at your level.
I also say the same thing for reading.
Read at your level.
Because when students read something that's way too difficult,
well, they don't understand, and it's not really helping them improve.
And this also goes for listening.
We have so many students talk to us and say,
"You know. When I'm out on the street listening to English, it's very hard to understand."
Or when I'm watching the movie and I'm not using subtitles, it becomes very challenging
to understand and follow along the story.
And that may be because you're trying to listen at a level that's a little too difficult.
Perhaps you don't understand all of the content words that you hear.
You're not able to put those pictures in your mind.
And then you don't understand what you're listening to.
On the other hand, we have many students comment on our channel and say,
"Hey, I understand everything that you just said."
I completely understand what you're saying in these lessons.
That means that that is a great level for your listening skills.
And it's great to practice those skills and listen to something at your level.
Listen to these lessons.
Listen to other videos in which people are speaking
maybe at a little bit of a slower pace.
That is a great level for you to practice your listening skills.
And build your listening skills as well
so that in the future you're going to watch that TV show, you'll watch that movie,
and you will understand just about everything that is being said.
Of course, I think it's perfectly okay to challenge yourself
and to watch all these different movies, and TV shows, and listen to music.
That is great. It's still good practice.
But again, I think you benefit most from listening
to something at your level, and following a long speech such as mine
so that you can build your skills over time and improve.
So that you can more easily understand fast speech later on in the future.
Please. Please. Please. Please. Try to listen at your level.
Right now, what I'd suggest that you do is try to practice those listening skills.
Practice those active listening skills.
And I've put together a playlist for you guys right here that you can check out.
Because these are some lessons that are going to help
you practice your listening skills, and help you practice becoming an active listener.
If you enjoyed this lesson and found these suggestions
useful, please hit that like button.
And leave us a comment because we just love hearing from you guys.
Thanks so much for watching, and I'll see you next time.